Villains Want Mercy
Sometimes when defeated by the hero, the villain goes down gracefully. Sometimes he realizes he is doomed and demands the hero to stop fooling around. Sometimes he tries to take the heroes with him. Sometimes the villain is so bad, he will never stop fighting until he is put down for good. This trope is not about those villains. Smug snakes, dirty cowards, and bad guys who suffer from moral decay rarely go down with their heads held high. For all the bravado and confidence they usually project, they are much more likely to get on their hands and knees and beg for mercy. This also serves to contrast them with the hero, as heroes usually never beg for mercy from the villain in the opposite situation, at least not for themselves. Very rarely, it is the act of a noble wrongdoer who is consistent about offering his foes mercy, and expects the favor to be returned. Depending on where the hero is on the Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism, they might call the villain out on how many people they have denied mercy before sparing them anyway. Others may deliver a "Reason You Suck" speech and leave the villain alive just to spite him. Or they might just scoff at this and shoot him. If the hero does grant them mercy, they may perform a Heel-Face Turn out of gratitude. However, it is quite very common for the villain to attempt to attack the hero one last time, usually while their back is turned. This will rarely work. Examples Literature *'Wormtail': Pathetically begs for mercy when he's confronted by Sirius and Remus; later begs for mercy from Harry, Ron, and Hermione after revealing he betrayed Harry's parents to Lord Voldemort. Animated Films *Scar: Begs for mercy when he's cornered by Simba by pulling the family card and blaming the hyenas for his own actions, but Simba doesn't buy it. When Simba decides to spare him, Scar goes to leave, only to throw embers into his nephew's eyes and attack him. Scar later begs mercy from the hyenas only for them to maul him to death. *Gaston: When the Beast holds him by throat and dangles him off of the roof of the castle, threatening to drop him to his death, Gaston pathetically begs the Beast not to hurt him. The Beast gives in and spares Gaston, ordering him to leave the castle for good. However, when Gaston sees the Beast going to reunite with Belle, he sneaks up behind him and stabs him in the back, only to lose his footing and fall to his demise. *Dag: Otis raises his fist to punch Dag, just as his father did, but instead he lowers his fist and glares at the evil coyote and demands him to NEVER return, before hitting him with a golf club and Dag soars out into the distance while howling in pain. *Shaw: Prepares to shoot Boog when Elliot leaps in front and the bullet hits him instead. This makes Boog enraged and he pins Shaw to the ground and roars fiercely in his face, before tying him up with his own gun. Elliot is then revealed to have survived--the bullet only shot off his remaining antler. *Claude Frollo: When Quasimodo stops Frollo from killing him with a dagger and angrily approaches him, Frollo begs for mercy, but Quasimodo refuses as he finally sees the man who raised him as an evil, sadistic monster. Live Action Films *'Koba': When hanging from the top of a skyscraper after dueling Caesar, Koba begs for mercy as he reminds Caesar of the "Ape Not Kill Ape" rule. However, Caesar coldly tells Koba that he's no ape and drops him to his death. Western Animation *'Bill Cipher': Begs for mercy when he realizes he was tricked into entering Stan's mind and is about to be erased from existence. His only response is getting punched in the face, leading Bill to be destroyed for good. Quotes Gallery NOTE: The limit is for 20 pictures only Wormtail.jpg|Peter "Wormtail" Pettigrew pathetically begging for mercy. Simba & Scar.png|Scar begging Simba for mercy. Gaston mercy.jpg|Gaston dropping his pride and begging for mercy as the Beast hoists him over the edge of the roof. Bill Cipher.jpg|Bill Cipher begging for mercy before he's erased from existence. Frollo begging for mercy.jpg|Frollo pathetically begging for his life as Quasimodo furiously corners him with his own dagger. Koba.jpg|Koba begging for mercy; using the "Ape Not Kill Ape" law on Caesar. Dag.png|Dag begging for mercy. Category:About Villains Category:Absolution Category:Villainous Symbolism Category:Dark Forms